Appeal in Hawaiian and English

1898

In 1897, more than 21,000 native Hawaiians—out of a population of less than 40,000—signed this petition opposing the annexation of Hawaii. It contributed to the defeat of a proposed annexation treaty. After America went to war with Spain in 1898, however, proponents of annexation argued that Hawaii was needed to support military action in the Philippines. In July 1898, a joint resolution passed control of Hawaii’s 6,450 square miles of territory to the United States.
Text adapted from “The 1897 Petition Against the Annexation of Hawaii” in the November/December 1999 National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) publication Social Education.

National Archives, Records of the U.S. Senate
Used with the permission of the U. S. Senate